You Are The One
by femmefatale2
Summary: There's this place in me where your finger prints still rest... your kisses still linger...and your whispers softly echo... It's the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me. BxG.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _So I'm finally starting a new story… No no, I haven't forgotten 'Butterfly Trails'. I'll be updating it pretty soon. Till then, go through this._

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**Chapter - 1**

"Ben, carefully!" called Gwen, shielding herself from the attacks with a panel of purple energy, as she quickly stole a glance at her cousin, who, in the form of Jetray was shooting laser-like rays from his eyes at the DNAliens.

Ben looked at her, but didn't have a chance to reply as a fresh horde of DNAliens charged at him. _Sheesh. Aren't these…uh…creatures ever gonna stop coming? Just how big is their army, anyway?_ With a quick dodge, he evaded a group of aliens charging straight for him, meaning to swaddle him with their slimy stuff. _Never knew fighting aliens could be this dirty. _He looked over at Gwen once again._ Well…at least Gwen has it better._

Gwen shot a mass of purple energy at a group of DNAliens, knocking them flat to the ground. _But not for long_, she thought ruefully. She espied a few more DNAliens charging for her. Too tired out to blast at them again, she just surrounded herself with a protective shield, waiting for them to come near, after which she'd make her move.

Strangely, the DNAliens seemed to be moving rather slowly. _Weird_, she thought. _But then, maybe it's not just me this battle is tiring out_. She snuck a glance at Kevin, who had absorbed something which had turned him into a curious teal color, braving it out against the DNAliens. She didn't feel like calling out to him, and advising him to be careful too. She felt as if even uttering a sound from her lips would drain whatever energy she had left. She took a deep breath, and turned forward, apprehending that by now, the DNAliens must have almost reached her. But astonishingly, the group of aliens she had seen charging for her a couple of minutes ago, now seemed to be nowhere in sight. _Huh?_

"Hey Gwen, you okay?" called Jetray from above.

"Hmm?" She looked upward at Ben. "Yeah, I'm ok…but those aliens…they just sort of…"

"Vanished?"

"Yeah…but how'd you—" Suddenly, she put two and two together. "Oh, so you finished them off!"

Ben grinned. "When should I come in handy, 'cuz?" With a quick wink, he was off.

A small smile escaped Gwen's lips. Trust Ben to come to her help. And she hadn't even asked for it. But then, she should have known this, shouldn't she?

"Gwen! What're you grinning like that for? Get back to finishing off those multitudes!"

…And trust Kevin to always ruin her good mood.

"Yeah, yeah," she droned, getting back to 'finishing off the multitudes'.

Not that were many left anymore, though. Ben had annihilated most of them, with just a few still remaining.

Within a couple of minutes more, the entire group of DNAliens had been exterminated.

"Phew," said Ben, landing on the ground beside Gwen, and turning back to his human form. "That wasn't so hard, was that?"

"Speak for yourself, Tennyson," said Kevin, rolling his eyes. "Not all of us have the power of taking to the air."

"Jealous, Kev?"

Kevin grunted, but made no reply. He turned towards Gwen. "You okay?"

Gwen nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks to Ben." She turned to Ben, and gave him a warm smile. Then she turned towards Kevin. "And thanks to you too. Though you were too busy exerting your muscle power to care for what I was doing!" she added mischievously.

"Hey!"

"Shame on you, Kevin. Putting your own selfish needs before Gwen!" said Ben, feigning disdain.

"Tennyson, how dare—"

"Quit it, you two!" said Gwen hurriedly. "Seriously, you don't need any concrete reason to get into an argument, do you?"

"Ask that to him," replied both Ben and Kevin in unison, glowering at each other.

'Oh, c'mon!" Gwen linked her arms with both boys on either side of her. "It doesn't really matter, does it? We just won a hard-hitting battle! Cheer up, guys!"

"**Oh so? Do you really think you won the battle**?"

The sudden harsh voice made the three of them stop in their tracks. Slowly, they turned around. They turned a trifle pale at the sight that met their eyes.

On top of a hillock, not far away, stood the Highbreed Commander, accompanied by an enormous horde of DNAliens.

"We just finished off an entire swarm of those creatures," said Kevin boldly, stepping forward. "Do you think another fresh lot's gonna stop us? Think of those poor fellows, dude. You still have time – back off."

Ben and Gwen exchanged a glance. Both had exactly the same thought on their minds. _Did Kevin really think he could scare the Highbreed and his entourage off?_

The Highbreed Commander laughed deviously. "Do you really think you can scare us off?"

The two cousins exchanged another glance. _Exactly our point._

Without further uttering anything, the Highbreed gave the signal to his army to come down on the trio.

As the three got ready to face the oncoming horde, Gwen couldn't help letting out a little sigh. _Looks like the battle is far from over…_

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**A/N:** _That was very different from what I usually write, so hope it went down passably. Review, and let me know what you guys thought of it. _


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Good to know that you liked the previous chapter. Here's the next one. Read on…_

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**Chapter – 2**

Ben slammed down on his Omnitrix, and with a blinding flash of green was transformed into Humongousaur. "Gwen, Kevin, take care of the DNAliens! I'll take on the Highbreed!"

"Ok," chorussed the other two, and began attacking the masses coming down upon them.

Kevin, Gwen noticed, had again turned into that curious teal color. _Wonder what he's absorbed this time._ _But wait, why the heck am I thinking of such an absurd thing at this point of time? _

Shaking her head slightly, she concentrated on the encounter. She elevated herself into the air, and began shooting purple energy blasts at the aliens below. The tactic was going down well enough, till her eyes fell on Ben-as-Humongousaur, fighting it out against the equally powerful Highbreed.

Almost involuntarily, a cautionary call escaped her lips. "Ben, be careful!"

In spite of the unnerving situation he was in with the Highbreed right then, Ben couldn't help shooting a brief look at his cousin, to tell her that he'd heeded to what she'd said.

Gwen nodded at Ben, and then turned her attention to the aliens at hand. Blast after blast of purple energy followed, exterminating group after group of DNAliens. And with every blast, Gwen could feel her energy level drooping further and further. No, I cannot give up like this. _My team needs me. Ben needs me…_

With a deep breath, Gwen pulled herself together. _I'm doing this for Ben. Ben…_ But another glance at Ben made her heart trip over in panic. The Highbreed Commander now had Humongousaur firmly under his grip, and was battering him ruthlessly.

"Ben!" she called out, but Ben was in no position to look at her.

Gwen swallowed in fright. She turned around to see Kevin engaged with some aliens. "Kevin!" she called, panic clear in her voice. "The Highbreed's got Ben under his grip!"

Kevin looked at Gwen, then at Ben and the Highbreed Commander. For a second, a look of worry crossed his face, but then it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. He punched his fist into the face of the last DNAlien, and then turned towards Gwen. "I'd advise you not to worry for him. Tennyson can take care of himself."

"But just look at him!"

Without waiting for any further answer from Kevin – knowing it would be futile – she rushed to help Ben.

But she'd hardly reached Ben when the Highbreed Commander turned towards her. "Stop!" he cried, holding out a hand to emphasize what he meant.

Gwen didn't feel any need to listen to what he said. Using as much energy as she could summon up, she fired a great blast of energy at the Highbreed. Then she fired a second. And a third.

As thick smoke encircled all of them, Gwen felt her knees giving way beneath her. She collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.

By the time the smoke had begun to clear, Kevin was beside her, holding her tightly. She had regained sufficient energy to sit up, but she didn't feel like protesting against Kevin for holding her. Maybe she would…a bit later. All she cared for now was Ben…and his safety.

But as the smoke finally cleared, Gwen's eyes widened in horror. The Highbreed was still standing tall, not in the least bit effected. _But then who…_

"Oh my God, Ben!" Gwen cried in shock, seeing Ben lying unconscious in his human form at the feet of the Highbreed.

"Ben!" Scrambling to her feet, she rushed over to Ben. "Ben…wake up!" She frantically began shaking Ben, but to no avail. She quickly felt her pulse. He was still breathing…but very raggedly.

Gwen looked up at the Highbreed, eyes gleaming with fury. "What did you do to him?" she asked, steel in her voice.

"I didn't do anything to him. I just side-stepped. Your blasts did the rest of it."

"What?" Gwen's voice changed from anger to sheer revulsion. "I did this to him?"

She looked down at Ben, her face white. "I did this to him?" she whispered softly, almost rhetorically. "I did this to him…" Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Yes. And I'm gonna do the same to you."

"Oh, you won't get a chance to do that."

Gwen stood up. Her eyes were ablaze. "_You_ did this to Ben, not me! You tried to snatch him away from me! You tried to kill Ben??? You're gonna pay for this!!!!"

Eyes glowing, she shot a gigantic blast of energy at the Highbreed. The vacant, tired feeling now replaced with venomous hatred, Gwen gave her whole being into summoning up whatever energy she had. Blast after blast followed, each blast compelling Gwen to shoot one more…and one more. _He tried to kill Ben…my Ben! I'm not gonna let him get away with this!!!_

"Gwen! Stop!"

Kevin's sudden shout shook Gwen out of her frenzied desire of lethal vengeance for the Highbreed. She stopped firing, and immediately collapsed once again into the ground, the thick smoke making her cough.

Kevin rushed up to her. "You okay?"

Gwen didn't answer anything. She didn't feel as if she had even an iota of energy left in her. She nodded disorientedly, her breathing becoming hoarse. Her head suddenly began to hurt horribly. The images in front of her eyes began to blur. She could faintly make out Kevin's form in front of her eyes. He was telling something to her, but she couldn't make out what.

She struggled to take a few deep breaths. She felt unaccountably dizzy. Sudden black spots began to appear in front of her eyes, blocking her vision. In a matter of no time, all she could see was darkness.

"Take…Ben…to…the…hospital…" was all Gwen could utter before blacking out.

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**A/N:** _Review!!_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _Hmm, quick update, wasn't that? Anyway, the angst starts from this chapter. Read at your own risk._ XD

**Chapter – 3**

Gwen slowly opened her eyes, stifling a yawn. She looked about her, only to find herself lying on a white bed, in a small room. There were all sorts of machines around her. A nurse was in the room, writing something on a clipboard attached to the bedpost. _I must be at the hospital, _she thought. Immediately, she was reminded of what had happened some time ago. _Ben!_

She hurriedly sat up in bed, all kinds of worries and anxieties gripping her. _How is Ben? Is he in the hospital? Is he okay?_

She noticed the nurse walk up to her. "How're you feeling now, Miss—"

"Tennyson," she supplied. "Gwen Tennyson."

"Ok, Gwen, how're you feeling now?"

"I'm better, thank you. But…"

"Yes?"

"Uh…how is my cousin?"

"Cousin?"

"Y'know…the one with the brown hair. He was badly injured… He was brought here, wasn't he?"

"Well yes, he was," answered the nurse, smiling softly. "But I can't say how he is. I'm not attending to him. The head doctor is."

"Oh…I see."

The nurse nodded slightly, and turned to walk away. But then she turned around once again.

"Oh, and I forgot to tell you something. A raven-haired boy is anxiously waiting outside to see you. Should I call him in?"

_Kevin…_"Yes. You can ask him to come in."

The nurse nodded, and left. After a few minutes, Kevin entered the room. He was looking anxiously at Gwen.

He approached the bed, and sat down on the chair next to it. "How're you now, Gwen?"

"I'm okay," Gwen smiled. "Thanks a lot for bringing us here in time."

Kevin nodded, but he didn't return her smile.

A frown crossed Gwen's face. "What? What is it?"

Kevin kept silent.

"What? What happened? Did something…" _Oh no…Ben…_ "Did…something happen to Ben?"

Kevin shook his head.

Both of them were silent for a very long time. Just when Gwen was deciding to say something, Kevin spoke up again. "Ben's condition is critical."

Gwen breathed sharply. "Will…will he improve?"

Kevin looked into her eyes. "None of us know. His pulse is barely detectable. The doctors can't give any hope. It's a fifty-fifty situation."

Gwen felt her senses reeling. No…this couldn't be… If anything happened to Ben, what would she do? How would she live without him?

Her eyes welled up with tears.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I…"

"No, Kevin, it's ok. It wasn't your fault, was it?"

Kevin shook his head, and then lowered it. "I'm sorry Gwen. I really am."

With a deep sigh, Kevin got up and left the room.

Left alone, Gwen let the tears come. She was still sobbing softly when the nurse entered again. "Gwen?"

Gwen looked up, not bothering to wipe her tears. "Yeah?"

"Do you think you could get up yet?"

"Yeah…why?"

"The head doctor wants to speak to you."

Gwen's heart missed a bit. This could only mean one thing. Ben…

She slowly got up, and followed the nurse outside. She led her to a room in the ICU. "He's inside. Go in."

With trembling hands, Gwen slowly opened the door. She gasped slightly on seeing the sight inside. Ben was lying on a bed, with numerous machines attached to various parts of his body. The head doctor was sitting on a high chair beside the bed. Hearing her enter, he stood up.

"Gwen, right?"

Gwen nodded. She pointed to Ben. "Is he…?"

The doctor gave a deep sigh. "He's in a very critical state. His injuries are too grave for him to recuperate from. We did all we could. His pulse is very weak. He gained consciousness a few minutes ago, but there isn't much hope. He just wanted to talk to you."

"Oh…"

The doctor motioned for her to sit on the bed. "I'll be coming back shortly. Talk to him. You don't have a good deal of time left. Unless you believe in miracles…"

He left the sentence mid-way, and walked out of the room.

Gwen could feel tears stinging at the back of her eyes. She went up and sat beside Ben. With the utmost care so as not to hurt him, she took his hand in hers. "Ben…" She called softly.

At the sound of Gwen's voice, Ben opened his eyes. "Gwen…" He could barely speak.

Ben's plight brought tears to her eyes. "Yes, Ben…I'm here."

"Gwen…I…I…wanted to say…sorry."

"Sorry?"

"Yes… For not being able to protect you. I tried my best…but…"

Gwen fiercely choked back her tears. "No, Ben, it's not your fault. You did all you could. Don't think like that."

"But…"

Gwen brought her free hand forward, and placed her finger on Ben's lips. "Shh. You were _always_ there for me, Ben. To help me out…to make sure I was ok. You always put my safety before yours. Always. Ditto for this time too. Turned out that we weren't lucky enough."

Ben let out a sigh.

"Don't worry, Ben," said Gwen, lightly squeezing Ben's hand. "Things will get better. I assure you."

Ben sadly shook his head. "Don't get up my hopes up, Gwen. I don't know what the doctors have told you, but I know what's gonna happen. Look at that machine over there," he said, gesturing to a machine which virtualized his pulse rate. "My pulse is barely detectable. It's gradually diminished over the past few hours. Do you still think I'll be able to make it?"

A single tear rolled down Gwen's cheek. "Don't say that Ben…don't…"

Ben let out another sigh. That he was having difficulty breathing was clearly visible. "Gwen…I don't have a lot of time left. Just wanted to tell you this…that…that…you…you were always special to me. You mean…a…lot to me Gwen… I…I…love you…"

Tears were freely raining down Gwen's cheeks now. "I know, Ben… And I love you too…"

Ben nodded slowly. His eyes were slowly losing their gleam. "I know it'll be tough for you…but…I just want you to do something…for me… Try to be happy again, Gwen…"

"What? But…how?" Gwen could hardly speak, her voice choked up with emotions.

Ben gave a soft squeeze to Gwen's hand. "I know it'll be tough for…you…But please do it, Gwen…For me… Wherever I will be, it would break my heart to know that…that…you'd never be happy again…"

"Oh…Ben…"

"You…will…do…it…for…me…won't…you?"

Gwen glanced at the machine. Ben's pulse was nearly nil.

"Please…Gwen…"

Gwen glanced back to her cousin. "Ben…I…"

"Please…"

"Ok…" Gwen whispered, her tears blurring her vision. "I will, Ben…"

"Promise?"

"Yeah…"

Ben closed his eyes. "Thanks, Gwen. I know you'll keep your promise…"

"Ben…"

"I'll always love you…Gwen. From wherever I am, I'll…look over you. That's my promise…Gwen."

The now-familiar beep of the machine began diminishing, gradually coming to stop to a virtual nothingness.

"Ben…"

On getting no reply from Ben, she realized with a sickening jolt that it was all over. "Ben…"

With a jerk, she withdrew her hand from Ben's. In an instant, she had pushed the chair aside, and was rushing out of the room….out of the hospital.

Tears blinded her as she began running away…down the other rooms…down the hallway…and finally down the reception room. She would run away from it all. She didn't know what she'd do without Ben, but she had to pull herself through it all. After all, she had promised Ben…

As she ran down the hallway, she could see some blurred faces trying to come in her way…to stop her, to ask her what had happened…All she did was push them aside. Who were they? The one person that mattered the most to her was no more. Did anybody else matter?

As she ran out of the hospital, hand pressed to her mouth to try and stifle the sobs, she could hear a big commotion behind. The frantic voices of many doctors and nurses and attendants all talking at the same time. But she was in no condition to turn back and ask what had happened. For her, the world had just ended. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing…

Gwen ran at a stretch till she reached a derelict alley, quite far away from the hospital. As she leaned against a wall to catch her breath, she could feel an appalling hollowness enveloping her. It was as if everything had come to an end, leaving her alone in her dark, dreary void.

She clutched her head in her hands, and finally let the tears come. _Ben…_ She couldn't believe that he wasn't there with her anymore. It was just a matter of time ago that he was there with her…talking to her…laughing with her…telling her that he loved her…

An intense pang of pain shot through her heart. Oh, Ben…

Gwen sat there, crying, for how long, she didn't know. She didn't even want to know. Every time she managed to wipe her tears, a fresh flow cascaded down her cheeks. The tears just kept coming. Over and over again. And every time she tried to steady herself, memories of Ben pierced through her mind, making her want to cry all the more… _Ben…_

*

The sun set in the horizon, painting the sky a vibrant hue of red, yellow, and orange. The moon gradually appeared, flooding the earth with a tint of pale white.

Gwen slowly opened her eyes, finding it a bit difficult to adjust to the dim light. _Where am I ?_ She looked around herself. She found herself to be in some sort of a dark, narrow alleyway. A stray cay brushed past her, letting out an eerie-sounding 'meow'.

Gwen rubbed her swollen eyes. _Why am I here? And where is Ben? Weren't we supposed to be…?_ And then, in a flash, it all came back to her. Ben was no more alive. He had made her promise that she would pull herself through all of it, and be happy again. And she had run away from it all.

The reminiscence sent a whirlpool of emotions swirling through her body, finding an outlet through her eyes. She found herself crying once more. That horrible melancholy swept over her again. _Ben…_

She looked up at sky through blurry eyes. "How am I supposed to live without you? Be happy? I just feel as if my world has ended. And you want me to be happy? How, Ben? How….?"

As if to answer her question, a gentle wind swept over her, ruffling her hair softly.

Gwen let out a gigantic sob. The pain inside her was unbearable. And weeping wasn't doing anything to help lessen it.

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, leaving a trail of grime down her cheek. She remembered Ben's words. '_Wherever I will be, it would break my heart to know that you'd never be happy again…_'

Shakily, Gwen stood up. She felt dizzy, and her head ached badly. She looked up towards the sky once again, a sudden gleam appearing in her eyes.

"No," she said softly, the tiniest hint of conviction in her voice. "I will never break your heart. Never… My happiness lies in your happiness. And if your happiness lies in seeing me happy, then yes, I'll be happy again… I'll pull myself through all of this. Just give me some time. I _will_ be happy again, you see. Not for anybody else…but for you…Ben…"

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**A/N:** _I know, it was very angsty, but I really needed to bring out Gwen's feelings about all this. Wondering what'll happen next?_ XD _You'll get to know very soon! But before that, I need reviews!_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _Sorry for the extremely late update. I just got caught up in some other things. Okay, make that a lot of other things. And not all pleasant, either. But you needn't worry 'bout all that. Just read on._

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**Chapter – 4**

==||** 4 YEARS LATER** ||==

Gwendolyn Tennyson stared out of the window of her house in Merryville, a small town roughly 500 kilometers away from Bellwood. She stared at the raindrops making a variety of patterns on the frosted glass pane, then amalgamating into a single long trail that trickled down the length of the window, and finally infiltrated down into the grass, and the soil underneath.

In the years since Ben had died, Gwen had somehow found a way to start living again. It hadn't happened right away, though. The very day after Ben's death, Gwen had left town – never to go back again. She couldn't bear to live with such people whose very presence reminded her of Ben's absence. No. she had left without informing anybody, and come and settled down in the city of Merryville, where she had a couple of friends. They were the ones who had helped her to find a minimum-mortgage house, and had also paid more than half of the total rent. By and by, through various errands and part time jobs, Gwen had been able to recompense her part of the lease.

The first couple of years after Ben's death had been difficult and lonely, but time had eventually worked its magic on Gwen, changing her loss into something softer. Though she still loved Ben, and knew that part of her would _always _love him, the pain wasn't as sharp as it had once been. She could remember the tears and total vacuum her life had become in the aftermath of his death, but the searing ache of those days was behind her. That excruciating, throbbing pain had gradually started anesthetizing, and had finally turned into complete numbness. Now, when she thought of Ben, she no longer cried. In fact, she could not cry. The tears would hardly come out. They had frozen inside her. Maybe, once or twice, she even remembered him with a smile…but that wasn't a common phenomenon.

Gwen sighed softly, as a clap of thunder shook the house. Almost involuntarily, her lips parted. "Ben…"

The moment he uttered his name, she could feel herself being transported back to the world of bygone days…the world she used to know…the world she used to love…and the world which had been so cruelly snatched away from her…

******

"Seriously, you don't have even the slightest bit of common sense in you, do you?"

"_You're_ supposed to the brainiac. What happened to you?"

"Can it, dweeb."

"Oh, shut up already, doofus."

Both cousins glared at each other. But the glare didn't last for long, very quickly being replaced by unambiguous shivers.

The weather being very stormy and wet, Grandpa had pulled over for the night in a corner of a clearing beside the limited-access highway. After he'd gone to sleep, the cousins had decided to sneak out and get themselves wet. It had been fun – but the aftermath hadn't, especially with the both of them missing a seemingly tiny, yet enormously important detail – their spare clothes.

All three – Ben, Gwen and Grandpa – kept their clothes in a cabinet in the R.V. That was okay. But what wasn't was that the cabinet happened to be next to the bed in which Grandpa slept – and was sleeping at that moment. And that meant just one thing. There was no way they could get any clothes out without climbing all over Grandpa, and thus waking him up. And that was one thing neither of the cousins were ready to risk.

"Great," Gwen muttered, pulling her drenched t-shirt away from her body. "This was _all_ I needed."

"And I'm enjoying this, right?" snapped back Ben, suffixing his sentence with a violent sneeze.

Gwen shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Who can say with dweebs like you?"

"Oh, gimme a break, Gwen," muttered Ben, crossing his arms over his chest in exasperation. "Is sarcasm all you can ever think of?"

Gwen was about to retort with something cutting, but stopped just in time to hear Grandpa rolling over onto his side, making a soft groaning noise.

"Shh," whispered Gwen. "We can't risk waking him up."

Ben sneezed again. "Y-yeah…but at this rate –" He sneezed loudly again, and then shook his head, not bothering to complete his sentence.

Grandpa stirred in his sleep once again.

Gwen bit down on her lower lip in helplessness. What were they supposed to do now? Stay in their wet clothes, sneezing loudly, thus risking waking up Grandpa…and even catching a fierce cold? Worse…what if they caught pneumonia?

"Huh? New…what?"

"What?" Gwen asked, puzzled by Ben's question. The puzzled look on Ben's face further increased her confusion.

"That's what I'm asking you!" replied Ben, staring at Gwen incredulously. "What did you just say? New…what?"

"New? Why, I didn't—" Gwen suddenly realized that she must have spoken her thoughts out loud. "Oh…yeah…I was just thinking that if we stay any longer in these wet clothes, we might risk catching pneumonia."

"Uh…" began Ben, but Gwen cut him off. "Ok…maybe we won't catch pneumonia. I mean, our immune system isn't that weak that it won't be impervious to such minor contagions, is it? But then…"

She caught Ben staring at her with his mouth open. "What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You…you weren't speaking English all this while, were you?"

Gwen brought her hand to her forehead in utter exasperation. "Okay…" she said defeatedly. "If we really don't want to wake Grandpa up, or catch a cold, then we gotta get out of these clothes. Quick."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"What?"

"C'mon, Gwen! Even I know that we have to get out of these wet clothes! What do you think I am – some fool?"

"Tell me something I don't know," said Gwen in an undertone.

"Did you say something?"

"Uh…just this that we need to devise how to get out of these clothes. Any ideas?"

"You really need to think about this? Simple…just strip off!"

Gwen's jaw dropped. "_What_?!"

"I just answered your question, Gwen! You asked me _how_ to get out of these clothes…so I gave you your answer! Sheesh…from next time, ask a better question."

"Oh…" For once, Ben was right. "Ok…" And for once, Gwen didn't know what to say. Ben's answer had somehow left her unusually disconcerted.

Another violent sneeze from Ben brought her back to her proper senses. "So what do we do now? We haven't got another set of clothes to wear…and we simply can't stay in these clothes a minute longer!"

"One of us can undress in the bathroom, and the other over here," suggested Ben.

"And after that? We urgently need something warm on us!"

"Like our blankets?"

Gwen shrugged, quickly stifling a sneeze. "They aren't really thick enough. But they'll have to make do, I guess."

"Ok,' said Ben. "I'm heading for the bathroom, then."

"Oh no, you don't," said Gwen, narrowing her eyes. "I'm taking the bathroom. I need more privacy than you do, dweeb."

Ben stared at her for a moment, and then shrugged. "Fine. Have it your way."

"Really?" Gwen hadn't expected Ben to give in so easily. But if he really had given in, then… "Ok," she said, nodding.

== ||**10 MINUTES LATER**|| ==

Gwen sniffed a bit as she emerged out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her. _Oh no. Please don't tell that I'm going down with a cold!_ _What will I tell Gran_—

The moment her eyes fell on Ben, she let out a loud yell. "Ben! What do you think you're doing on my bun—"

Before she had a chance to complete her sentence, Ben flew forward, swiftly clamping her mouth with his hand. "Doofus!" he said in a low tone, albeit an annoyed one. "Why are you _so_ eager to get us into trouble?"

Gwen quickly swatted his hand away from her mouth. "What do you mean? You were the one, lying in _my_ bunk, covering yourself up with _my_ blanket! _You're_ the one asking for trouble!"

Ben clamped his hand over her mouth once again. "For heaven's sake, Gwen, keep your voice down! You needn't go on being the selfish giant each and every time!"

With another angry swat of her hand – an even forceful one this time – Gwen brushed Ben's hand away from her mouth, and narrowed her eyes. "_What_ did you just call me?"

"What you deserve to be called! What the heck, Gwen. I'm doing all I can to keep us out of trouble, and you go and invite trouble right up to our very noses by screaming your lungs out! What did I do? Just lie down on your bunk, right? And you behaved as if I was coming forward to molest you!"

Gwen's eyes widened, an involuntary blush appearing on her cheeks. "_What_?"

"Uh…erm…" Ben bit down on his lip. He really hadn't intended to actually say that. In his annoyance, it had automatically come out.

But before he could say anything, Gwen spoke up. "Uh…well…I guess I deserved that."

Ben turned to face his cousin in surprise. Gwen was apologizing – well, kind of – to him? Was she okay?

A sneeze from Gwen snapped Ben out of his thoughts. "Well…I think we need to get something warm on us…soon."

Gwen nodded. She was still a bit disconcerted from Ben's previous comment. "Yeah. We do need to – Ben?"

"Huh? What?" Ben asked, puzzled at how Gwen was looking at him. "What is it?"

"You're – you're – just in your boxers?!!"

Ben glanced quizzically at her. "So? Don't tell me you just noticed! I've been standing in front of you, talking to you since, like, the past fifteen minutes!"

"Well…I…"

"I get it," said Ben, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were real busy yelling at me, right? Then how do I expect you to notice whether I have something on or not?"

"No, it's not that…it's actually…well….uh…it is that, I guess."

Ben shook his head, allowing a small smile to work itself up on to his lips. He opened his mouth to speak something, but could feel a strange tingling sensation at the back of his nose. _Oh no. Not again._

He quickly pressed his hand over his nose, willing himself not to sneeze. A slight giggle suddenly distracted him.

He turned towards Gwen. "What? You think I'm enjoying this?"

"Of course not! But I sure am -- especially when you're looking this funny!"

"Doofus," retorted Ben, turning and walking towards Gwen's bunk. Just as he'd reached her bunk, and was about to climb in, Gwen stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing? Your bunk is there," she said, pointing to Ben's bunk. "This bunk is _mine_."

"Sure," said Ben nonchalantly. "But for the time being, this bunk is mine too."

Without another word, he swiftly climbed in, and covered the blanket up to his neck. Then he looked at Gwen, who was staring at him incredulously.

"You should climb in, too, Gwen. Unless you want to sleep in my bunk – covered up with a torn blanket."

An 'oh' escaped Gwen's mouth as she swiftly recollected how Ben's blanket had torn the night before. Grandpa had put the blanket being too old and worn out to be the cause for its tearing, but Gwen had secretly wondered if it really was just that.

Gwen let out a sigh. "Fine then. Move aside."

Ben shifted a bit towards the window.

"A little more."

"Oh! How fat are you anyway?"

As Gwen began narrowing her eyes, Ben quickly lifted up his hands. "Ok, ok, sorry. Now climb in."

Gwen scowled at Ben. "Move aside, I said."

"But where? Do you want me to go out the window or what?"

Gwen's frown deepened. "Fine. Don't move. I'm gonna stand right here. Nothing's gonna make me climb in."

Ben shrugged. "Your wish. I'm saved from the stink, anyway," he said before turning over on his side, facing away from Gwen.

For a while, all was quite inside the RV. Nothing could be heard save the occasional growl of thunder outside.

Shivering slightly even under his blanket, Ben yawned loudly. _Gosh. If I'm feeling cold even inside the blanket, wonder what Gwen…_

Feeling the blanket rustle beside him, he quickly turned over. "Gwen!?"

"What?" said Gwen, covering herself with the blanket. "You seriously didn't expect me to stand like that, did you?"

Ben shook his head, grinning. "Knowing you, how could I ever expect that?"

Gwen returned the grin. "But Ben, don't you think it's rather cold inside the blanket too?"

Ben nodded. "I know. They aren't thick enough – just like you said they wouldn't be."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you beginning to acknowledge things like that?"

Ben smirked. "I normally don't. But the cold can take its toll, y'know."

Gwen lightly punched Ben in the arm. "Dweeb. But then, you're right about the cold. We seriously need something to warm us up."

"Something like this?" And before Gwen could ask what Ben was referring to, she could feel Ben's arm wrapping around her.

"What are you—" began Gwen, but Ben silenced her off by putting his finger on her lips.

"Shh. Don't begin yelling again. I'm just trying to get things to heat up a bit."

Gwen felt her cheeks heating up. _And you sure are doing that. _

Hesitantly at first, she slowly snuggled up closer to Ben, putting her arm over him, who pulled her further closer to himself.

"This feels good…" whispered Gwen, slowly closing her eyes, as the warmth generated from their close physical contact began to seep inside her.

"Yeah…" said Ben, closing his eyes too. "Real good…"

*****

"Gwendolyn! You in?"

The shrill voice, accompanied by the metallic reverberation of the doorbell brought Gwen sweeping back into reality.

"Gwendolyn!"

"Coming, Anne!" Gwen hastily wiped away a stray tear from her cheek and rushed to open the door.

"Oh, thank God you're here!" cried Anne, bursting into the room. "I've been calling you like, since, forever! Why weren't you picking up the phone?"

For a second, Gwen stared at her friend. "Phone? I didn't hear the phone ringing even once!"

Anne's jaw dropped. "Huh? How's that even possible?"

Gwen shrugged. "But what'd you have to tell me anyway?"

Anne's eyes widened dramatically. "Oh, Gwendolyn, Mrs. Johns is just furious on you! You were supposed to be babysitting her son today – why didn't you show up?"

"Mrs. Johns' son…oh no!" Gwen slapped her forehead. "I absolutely forgot about it!"

"You're already twenty minutes late! Now go!"

"Yeah…but…"

Anne snatched Gwen's coat from the rack and thrust it into her hands. "Now take an umbrella from that stand and get moving!"

Gwen hastily threw her coat on, grabbed an umbrella from the stand by the door, flashed Anne a quick thank-you smile and rushed out. She knew that she'd be given a good talking to by Mrs. Johns when she arrived at her house, but there was no one she could blame for except her own self. She was the one who had chosen this life. And she'd got so caught up in memories of Ben that she hadn't even noticed the time flying by.

She let out a soft sigh. _Well, at least I've got back to living normally…sort of._

She looked up at the sky, as if she expected to see Ben somewhere out there. "Thanks Ben…" she said softly. "Thanks for telling me to be happy again. Thanks for helping me pull myself through all of it…"

After a little pause, she added, a small smirk on her face. "And from next time, remind me to buy a big grandfather clock."

* * *

**A/N:** _Okay…that's finally done._ _It was a lot longer compared to the previous chapters, so hope it was good enough. Review! _


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N****: **_On with the 5th chapter…_

* * *

**Chapter – 5**

"Gwendolyn! Didn't I remind you a thousand times to be here on time today? And you just _had_ to be late!"

Gwen stared at the floor. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Johns. Actually I –"

"I don't need explanations! I had an important appointment today – and now I'm late. Just because you didn't show up on time!"

_Just take a look at the weather_, Gwen felt like saying. _You'd be late anyway. _But instead, she pursed her lips and stayed silent.

"Now what you are you waiting for? Go right in. And you will not leave until I come back. You get that clear?"

Gwen nodded hastily. That was one mistake she couldn't afford to make again – leave before time. Just a few days back she'd left before Mrs. Johns had arrived, and her son had strayed right out and into her neighbor's house. No actual damage had been caused to anybody in person, but Gwen had been fiercely reprimanded for that.

"Good," replied Mrs. Johns, putting on her coat. "And oh, I forgot to tell you one thing. You'll have to baby-sit my niece too today. Okay?"

Gwen nodded again. She'd have liked to ask where her niece's parents were, but experience had taught her not to ask personal questions to anybody. _Oh well…_

"Have a good time," she called out as Mrs. Johns stepped out onto the sidewalk, holding the umbrella over her head. _Not that my wish actually matters to her…_

No sooner had she closed the door than a little boy of about six came running up to her. "Gwennie!" he cried out happily, latching himself onto her legs.

Gwen smiled at the boy. "Good to see you, Bill. But haven't you still gotten out of the habit of calling me 'Gwennie'?"

Bill shook his head vigorously. "Gwennie! Gwennie!" he repeated, a big grin on his face.

Gwen couldn't help laughing at this. "Ok, ok. Gwennie it shall be for you." She gently unlatched him from her knees, and took his tiny hand in hers, steering him towards the bedroom.

"Well Bill, I heard you've got company today?"

"Company?" Bill looked up at her questioningly.

"Well, your cousin is staying with you, right?"

Bill's face broke into a wide smile. "Oh, yes! You wanna meet her?"

Gwen nodded. "Sure do. Where is she?"

By this time, they had reached the bedroom. Bill quickly freed his hand from Gwen's, and ran up to the bed. A girl of about his own age was sitting on the bed, playing with a doll. Bill leaped up onto the bed, and flung his arms around the girl. "This is my cousin!" he announced enthusiastically to Gwen.

But before Gwen had a chance to reply, the little girl cried out, "Bill! Hands off me!"

"Ok, ok…sorry," said Bill, grinning sheepishly.

The girl turned to Gwen. "I'm Mel," she said, smiling. She snuck a distasteful glance at Bill before continuing, "Bill's cousin."

Gwen grinned on seeing the exchange between the two cousins. For a split second, she was suddenly reminded of Ben – and her. This was exactly how they used to bicker when they were younger. _Ben…_

Suddenly, Gwen could feel the familiar hollow rush of melancholy sweeping over her. Bits and pieces of her memories with Ben flashed in front of her eyes. _No, no, no! I mustn't let this happen to me…not now! _She closed her eyes, and bit down hard on her bottom lip, trying to will the memories to fade away.

"Gwennie…what are you doing?"

In the twinkling of an eye, it was all over. Gwen slowly opened her eyes. Both Bill and Mel were staring curiously at her. _Wow. Some nice entertainment I was giving them._

"Uh…I was just…nothing, actually."

The two cousins looked at each other, and then back again at her. Finally, Mel broke the silence.

"Oh…ok. But…_you're_ ok, right?"

Gwen nodded. "I'm perfectly ok," she said, smiling.

Mel nodded, smiling back. "Is your name actually Gwennie?"

Gwen came up to the bed and sat down beside the two cousins. "Nopes," she said, shaking her head. "My name's Gwendolyn. Your cousin's made up the name 'Gwennie' for me."

"Bad choice," said Mel, shaking her head. "Bill always makes bad choices."

"Hey!" Bill looked accusingly at Mel. "What was that?"

"The truth," retorted Mel, before turning back to Gwen. "So…do I have to call you Gwennie too?"

"That's your wish, sweetie. You can call me whatever you want."

"So can I call you Gwen?"

For a second, Gwen's composure was blown over. She inhaled sharply. _Gwen…_ The very name brought back a deluge of memories surging back to her mind. _Ben used to call me by that name…_ On shifting to Merryville, she'd introduced herself to people as Gwendolyn – not Gwen. That had been her own defense mechanism to wall off whatever memories the name brought back to her.

And now…after so many years…someone had called her Gwen again. Her barrier had been broken. _Gwen…_Somehow, because of the rhyming effect, the name instantly reminded her of Ben. _Ben…_

"Um…Gwendolyn?"

Gwen released the breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Yeah?"

Mel looked at her curiously. "Are you okay? I asked you whether I could call you Gwen or not…and then you just… You didn't answer my question yet."

Gwen nervously licked her lips. She didn't know what to answer.

"Can I call you Gwen?" repeated Mel. "Please?"

Gwen bit down hard on her bottom lip – so hard that she could almost taste blood. What should she answer? Which mattered more – agreeing to Mel's innocent request, or denying the girl her obvious right just to save herself from the affliction?

"Is something wrong, Gwennie?"

Bill's voice broke into her stream of thoughts.

"Wr—wrong?" Gwen stammered, hastily catching herself. "No…no…everything's ok."

She took a deep breath to regain her composure, and then turned towards Mel. "Yes, you can call me Gwen."

A big smile lit up Mel's face. "Thank you! You're the best babysitter I know!"

Gwen smiled on seeing the child's delight. _It doesn't take much to make a kid happy_. _Wish I were a kid once again…_

---

"Wish I were a kid once again…"

"Really? And why so?"

Ben looked up at Gwen, shrugging. "I don't know. Sometimes, I just…feel like it…that's all."

Gwen bit down on her lower lip and stared at her cousin curiously. This was one of those rare moments when Ben actually opened up to her, behaved nicely with her…and all that. It was one of those rare moments that they really bonded well.

"And how do you know that that's what you feel?"

Now it was Ben's turn to stare at Gwen with a puzzled look on his face. "Uh…I'm not sure what you really mean, but all I can tell you is this that…" he sighed softly.

"What?" prompted Gwen.

"Just this that I wish I could rewind everything back, and start afresh."

Gwen raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why? Is something wrong?

Ben shrugged again. "Not something that I know, but something that I fear may happen."

Gwen frowned. "From when have you begun to speak quizzically?"

Ben smiled feebly. "Hey, I'm thirteen. What do you expect?" The smile died out as quickly as it had come.

Gwen waited for Ben to continue, but seeing that he'd clamped up, she spoke up. "Something that you _fear _may happen? From when has Ben Tennyson begun to _fear_ things? And what does this have anything to do with you being a kid again?"

"When you're a kid, you don't have to worry about…about so many things. You can just live carefree-ly. Love people without having to continuously think about their safety." He threw a forlorn glance at the watch on his hand.

Before he could explain further, Gwen comprehended his glance. "You…don't regret possessing the Omnitrix, do you?"

Ben looked at Gwen once again – straight into her eyes. He shook his head quietly. "I don't regret it. Heck, no. The Omnitrix has given me a new life. A life that I love living. It's made a hero out of a common kid. How could I ever regret possessing it?"

Gwen stared back into his eyes. They looked somewhat hollow to her. "Then…then what is it?"

Ben sighed softly. "Possessing this watch is a…sort of a constant threat –"

"To you?" Gwen interrupted.

"Hear me out, Gwen," said Ben, frowning. "I know that possessing this watch in itself poses a great risk for me. Of course, there is this constant threat to my life. But that's not what I'm worried about. And especially after last night's attack…"

Gwen flashed back to what had happened the night before. Some evil, and horribly powerful associate of Vilgax had launched a sudden attack on them, taking her and Grandpa as hostages. After what had been a long fight, Ben had been able to free them. But the experience wasn't one that Gwen wanted to submit herself to again.

The sudden throb of the gash on her forehead, resulting from last night's encounter darted her back into the present. She slowly put up a hand to her forehead in an attempt to stop the pain.

"See…that's what I'm talking about," said Ben, looking at her with a worried look in his eye.

"What?"

"This is exactly what I'm worried about."

"I don't—"

"I'm worried about _you_, Gwen."

"Me?"

"Yeah. I mean, you and Grandpa… But mostly, you."

A surprised look came into Gwen's face. This was one side of her cousin she'd never seen before. "But why would you be worried about…me?"

"Well…after last night, I couldn't help it. That gash on your forehead – all because some stupid alien got greedy for this thing latched onto my wrist. I'm…I'm just a danger around you guys."

Gwen sighed. "I thought we'd gotten over with this, Ben. Our first summer trip – Rojo – an injured Grandpa – you trying to run away…ring a bell?"

"I know, Gwen. I know… I just…"

This time, Gwen didn't prompt him. She just waited for him to continue.

"I just couldn't stand it if I lost you…"

Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. The sheer subtlety of the moment overwhelmed her. _I couldn't stand it if I lost you…_

Reaching across the table, Gwen slipped her hand over Ben's, and gave it a slight, reassuring squeeze. "You won't ever lose me," she said, smiling softly.

Ben stared at her for a while, and then slowly returned the smile. "Thanks, Gwen. I didn't think I'd ever say this, but…you're too precious to lose."

"You too. I never wanna lose you either…"

---

Sitting before the cousins, who by now were busily engrossed in a game of their own, Gwen couldn't help shedding a silent tear. As Ben's words resounded in her ears, a fresh flood of tears flooded her eyes. _But I've already lost you…Already…_

* * *

**A/N:** _Ok, firstly, sorry for the late update. School's been real hectic these days. Anyway, just review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. _


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** **:** _This is gonna be long. Brace yourselves._

_First off, I wasn't even supposed to be here, doing this – updating, that is. A few months back I had officially announced my exit from the site. I was doing quite well at keeping my resolution, until this week, that is. I dunno why, I suddenly felt the urge to sit down and write. And what better piece to pen down than to start off with one of my unfinished fics? Writing keeps my mind off a lot of things, and it's the best refuge out, I guess. That's for the 'why' part of it._

_No, this doesn't mean that I'm back. I mean, I'm not sure myself. Whether I'll be wanting to continue writing depends on how I feel after I've posted this up. Reviews so matter, definitely, and may go a long way in helping me make up my mind. _

_So for the time being, just read on. And yeah, it's been nearly thirty weeks since I've written, so please bear with me if I'm not really up to the scratch. _

_Oh, and I'm expecting most of you to have forgotten everything of the previous chapter by now, so feel free to brush up quickly, and then start off with this chapter. That's all. Thanks. _

**Chapter – 6**

Gwendolyn trudged out of the Johns' residence, and slowly walked up to her own house, thoroughly drained. The cousins alone had been a real handful for her to manage, leave alone the assortment of diverse memories their actions had hauled out of her subconscious. She'd had one hell of an afternoon, and she badly needed a breather.

As she rounded the corner of the street, from the distance she could see a female figure standing on her doorstep. She was dressed in a fuchsia parka with black tights underneath, holding an umbrella, and was standing with her back to Gwen. _Who on earth is that?_ Gwen narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out who the person might be. It certainly wasn't Anne. Then who was she? And why was she standing at her door?

Gwen quickened her pace. As she walked up the porch, the woman heard her footsteps and turned to face her.

"Uhh…" Gwen was a bit startled when she recognized who the woman was.

The woman smiled. "Hey, Gwendolyn."

"Hi, Mrs. Walker," Gwen said, smiling a bit uncertainly. Norah Walker was her next door neighbor. She was a very frivolous woman, and had been known to have several affairs with younger men after her own husband had died a few years back. Gwen didn't like her very much, and had never bothered to keep any sort of cordial relation with her. "What brings you here?"

"Actually –" began Mrs. Walker.

"Won't you come in?" Gwen offered, suddenly aware that she'd forgotten all her manners. This was something that could be expected of Ben, not her. Ben's name suddenly brought back a throbbing pain in her chest. Would she never be able to pronounce his name without being hit by that overwhelming wave of pain? She slowly shook her head and focused on the woman standing in front of her.

"No Gwen, I won't come in today. Some other day, ok? I just came here to tell you something important."

_What important stuff have __**you**__ got to tell me? _"And that is?" Gwen asked out loud.

Mrs. Walker looked around, as if expecting someone to jump out of the bushes suddenly. "Actually…since this past one hour, there's this one guy that has been hovering around your house. He walked straight up the driveway and the porch, and stood ringing your doorbell for around fifteen minutes."

Gwen was surprised. _A guy?_ _Who?_

"And then," continued Mrs. Walker. "He called out for you thrice."

"Whoa…wait," Gwen interrupted her. "He called out for me? As in, he called out my name?"

Mrs. Walker nodded.

"What was he calling me by?"

Now Mrs. Walker looked surprised. "Why, your name!"

Gwen shook her head. "No, as in – Gwendolyn?"

"Oh, I get what you mean. No, he was calling you by the name 'Gwen'."

Gwen's stomach did a sudden flip. _Gwen?_ No one in Merryville called her that! "Can you…describe the guy to me?"

Mrs. Walker stayed silent for a few seconds, recollecting. "Yeah. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans – or maybe trousers; I couldn't make that out – and a grey t-shirt."

Gwen raised her eyebrows. She knew no one like that in Merryville. Then who had the guy been? And why had he called her 'Gwen'? None of Mrs. Walker's descriptions rang a bell in her mind. "And where were you when all this happened?" she asked.

"On my terrace," replied Mrs. Walker. "That's how I saw the whole thing."

"Where did the guy go finally?"

Mrs. Walker shrugged. "I don't know. He called out your name thrice, and when he still didn't get any reply, he just stood on your porch for a while. Then he walked away."

"But…I don't know any guy like that in Merryville," Gwen couldn't help voicing her thoughts out loud.

Mrs. Walker smiled. "Must be some guy interested in you. If he comes back, you should go for it, you know."

Gwen smiled back wanly. Going out with a guy was the last thing on her mind right now. "Thanks for dropping by and letting me know, Mrs. Walker. You sure you don't want to come in for a while?"

Mrs. Walker shook her head. " I promise to drop by some other day, Gwen."

"Uhm…Gwendolyn." Gwen corrected.

"Oh, sorry. Gwendolyn. See you soon, dear." With a slight wave of her hand, Mrs. Walker departed.

Gwen stood outside her door for a while, brooding over the matter. Then finally she decided to put it away at the back of her mind. Whoever it was, if he really needed to meet her, would definitely come back later. But only one thing remained. Why had the guy called her 'Gwen'?

**A/N :** _Ok…that's all I could write for this chapter. As I said before, I don't really know whether I'll be updating again or not – depends a lot on the feedback, but I can't really say._

_For the time being, just go ahead and review. Thanks. _


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